


A Kephallonian Love Story

by Lastly



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Kassandra/Daphnae (Implied), pillowtalk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-15 10:22:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16931484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastly/pseuds/Lastly
Summary: Stories about Kassandra's first love from her days as a teenager on Kephallonia





	1. Chapter 1

Kassandra had always wanted to explore the world but Markos was insistent that she was still too young to leave Kephallonia. Every so often she would try to convince him that seventeen was old enough, that she was mature enough to tackle the world on her own, but he was insistent that she should stay on the island that she had known as home. She was determined that some day she would travel all across Greece and see all the amazing things that she had only heard about in stories. It didn't help that the flames of her eagerness were being stoked by the daughter of a merchant. Every few weeks Thaddaios would sail in to town bringing his wares and, more important, his cherished daughter Sophia.

Markos, being the industrious man that he was, was always looking to make contacts with any merchants coming to Kephallonia so he and Kassandra had been acquaintances with Thaddaios and Sophia for quite a few years. The two girls had quickly become friends and on each visit to the island, Sophia did her best to spend whatever free time she had with Kassandra.

 

* * *

 

"Kass! It's been too long! It's great to see you again!" Sophia came up behind Kassandra and draped one arm across the shorter girl's shoulders. Kassandra's face immediately lit up with a smile when she saw Sophia's grinning face.

"You're done for the day? Where shall we go?" Kassandra asked, returning Sophia's motion by wrapping one of her own arms around Sophia's shoulders.

"Ah well, I'm almost done. My pater just needs me to move a few boxes onto the ship and then I'll be free to go." Sophia's smile twisted to a slightly mischievous smile.

"Oh, so you just want me to come along and lift some things for you, is that it?" Kassandra laughed at her friend's obvious ploy.

"What? No, of course not, I just was eager to spend some time with my good friend, that's all! Although now that you mention it, I could put those strong arms of yours to good use." Sophia broke their side-by-side embrace and placed her hand on Kassandra's bicep and give it a squeeze, feeling the girl's impressive muscles.

"Okay, come on, let's get going then." Kassandra said, smiling as her cheeks turned just a slight shade of rose.

 

* * *

 

"Oh Sophia, this is amazing! Just wait to see it, you'll love it!" Kassandra quickly led Sophia through the streets of Sami by the hand.

"Slow down Kassandra, can't you tell me what it is?" Sophia said between some small laughs. She wasn't really bothered or anything, in fact Kassandra's palpable excitement was contagious and had caused quite a large smile to appear on her tanned face.

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you!" she replied.

The pair of them rushed out of the city and followed the dirt road slightly farther until they got to an area with a few scattered trees. Kassandra slowed down and pulled Sophia a few steps off the side of the road into the grass and looked up at the clear blue sky.

"This should be good." Kassandra said, mostly to herself. She held one arm up and let out a whistle, the big grin still on her face. A light breeze blew across the field, Sophia's dress swaying in the wind with the not-quite-knee height grass.

"Is everything okay?" Sophia asked with a smile. She didn't need to see Kassandra's face to know that she was blushing. She was always so eager to impress Sophia that she actually found it kind of charming.

Kassandra waved one hand at Sophia as an attempt to signal her to be quiet for a moment and then let out another whistle, this one louder than the last. This time something did happen. A young eagle descended from the sky and came to perch on Kassandra's hand. Kassandra turned to face Sophia and held the bird towards her.

"His name is Ikaros." she said, using her free hand to gently brush the bird.

"This is... _amazing_. How did you do that?" Sophia took a step forward, her mouth agape at the sight of the creature.

"Here, pet him here like this." Kassandra motioned for Sophia pet Ikaros the same way she did. Sophia moved her hand and pet the bird, as instructed, and Ikaros let out a soft cooing sound, closed his eyes, and leaned into the girl's hand; clearly enjoying the soft touch. Kassandra watched Sophia the whole time, thoroughly enjoying just how big of a smile was plastered across her face. The way the older girl smiled made her heart beat just a little bit faster.

 

* * *

 

"Wait up Kassandra... I need to rest a moment." Sophia wheezed the words out as she struggled to catch her breath. Kassandra stopped and looked back down the hill at her friend.

"It's just a little ways further. I told you this hike up to Zeus would be tiring." she said. Sophia had asked about the statue and Kassandra told her that the view from there was amazing; that you could practically see all of Greece from there. However, she had neglected to tell her about the steep hills and lack of trails leading up the hills.

"No wonder you've got such good legs. Walk up here once and day and you'd be a better runner than Pheidippides." Sophia let out a heavy sigh and then started up the hill once again. "Just a little further, right? I can wait a little longer to rest I guess." she muttered as she passed by Kassandra.

Kassandra kept a slower pace this time and followed behind Sophia up the rest of the way. She couldn't help but stare at the way Sophia's sweat-soaked robe stuck to her shoulders and the small of her back. The only thing able to take her attention away from that was the way her hips swayed as she hiked up the steep hill. A small part of Kassandra was actually disappointed when their journey ended and they reached the summit. Sophia let out a heavy sigh, sat down on the ground, and leaned back against the base of the statue. Kassandra sat down next Sophia, clearly nowhere near as tired as her friend was.

Kassandra watched Sophia as she caught her breath, her chest gently rising and falling with each breath. Once Sophia had sufficiently rested she opened her eyes and looked out across the ocean and let out a small gasp.

"It's even more beautiful than you said it would be." Sophia said with a smile. "But it's not quite all of Greece." She leaned in closer to Kassandra and pointed out towards the sea. "See that island there, the one all the way in the back? There's another island or two just a little bit further out than that one." Kassandra's gaze followed the young merchant's gesture out to the distant landmasses. She didn't know if Sophia was telling the truth but she didn't really care.

"Maybe some day I'll stow away on your ship and you can take me there." she said with a grin. She had usually been too nervous to try and flirt with Sophia but something about their journey today made her more confident and caused her to give it a shot. It worked though, because Sophia lowered her arm and looked over at Kassandra. Her cheeks had turned just a slight shade of red.

"You wouldn't need to stow away, all you'd have to do is ask. I'd be more than happy to have you along." she replied with a sweet smile. Sophia tilted her head back and swept one hand through her sweaty shoulder-length hair. She let out another heavy sigh "I don't know how you deal with your hair. Mine bothered me just hiking up here, I can't imagine how you deal with yours when you have to fight someone."

"It's never been a big deal, I guess. And mine isn't even as long as yours is anyway." She shrugged as if to punctuate her indifference to it. Sophia looked over to Kassandra again and ran her fingers through the girl's loose hair.

"You should grow it out and then braid it. It'll be manageable and cute that way." she said with a smile.

"What, you mean it isn't cute already?" Kassandra looked over at the girl with a sly grin. Sophia let out a laugh in return and patted Kassandra on the head a few times, showing that she saw through Kassandra's plan to fish for compliments. Kassandra couldn't help but join in laughing.

"I think you're going to have to carry me back down, I'm not sure my legs will walk all that way again."

"I may be strong but I'm not sure I'm that strong." Kassandra teased. Sophia tightened her grip on Kassandra's hair and tugged on it just hard enough to tilt the girl's head back. "Ah, ah, okay okay I'm sorry" Kassandra said with a laugh.

The next time Sophia returned to Kephallonia she was somewhat surprised to see that Kassandra had taken her advice. Her hair was only slightly longer after just a few weeks but she had begun to keep it braided.

"Nice hair" Sophia said, giving the small braid a light playful tug. "It looks cute." Kassandra couldn't help but smile and blush at the older girl's very direct compliment.

 

* * *

 

"Kass!" Sophia shouted as she rushed through the emptying evening market towards Kassandra. She had a smile on her face and a wrapped up package under her arm.

"Slow down, what's the hurry" Kassandra asked with a laugh once Sophia reached her.

"I needed to see the birthday girl! I'm already a few days late." Sophia replied. She held out the wrapped package. "Happy Birthday Kassandra." Her smile was about as big as Kassandra had ever seen it be before. Kassandra unwrapped the package and her jaw dropped when she saw the beautiful blue silk dress inside. She looked up at Sophia, her mouth agape.

"Sophia, it's beautiful. Why did you... you didn't have to!" she said. Sophia wrapped her arms around Kassandra and squeezed her tight. She moved and held Kassandra by the shoulders and locked eyes with her.

"Of course I had to, I couldn't let your birthday go by and not get you something nice." Her smile changed subtly from an excitement to see her friend to a different sort of excitement. Kassandra barely noticed it before Sophia leaned in and quickly kissed her on the cheek. "Now come on, you need to try it on. I need to see just how good you look in it." Kassandra felt her face heat up as she blushed pretty intensely.

The two made their way to their usual spot: an old abandoned house on the Western coast of Kephallonia that Kassandra had claimed as her own. She had technically always lived with Markos but as she had gotten older she had needed a place to call her own and the old run-down house worked well enough.

Sophia waited outside of the small single-room house and watched the gentle rolling of the waves while Kassandra changed into the dress. She was excited for today - not just to see Kassandra in the new dress but because she had decided that it was time to try and push their friendship into something new.

"I feel... ridiculous? I've got nowhere to keep my sword now." Kassandra emerged from the house. Sophia let out a laugh at the sword comment but the laughter didn't last long when she realized just how beautiful Kassandra looked in the dress.

"Well hopefully if you've got an occasion to wear a dress you won't need a sword. I can't imagine anyone would want to attack anyone as beautiful as you, anyway." Kassandra's already-red face somehow turned just a shade more red.

"I guess I've just never really had a reason to dress like this before." she bashfully admitted.

"What? Don't tell me you've never had a date before. Are all the Kephallonian boys too scared to ask you out?"

"Ah hah, that's not really it. I'd have to be willing to on a date with them in first place..." Kassandra hadn't really spoken openly like this with anyone before. On one hand it made her nervous to talk about but it also was so relaxing knowing that she could talk with Sophia like this.

"Oh, I see how this is." Sophia said with a chuckle. "You're just too nervous to ask out any cute farmer's daughters then, right?"

"Sophia!" Kassandra smiled and laughed. She couldn't tell Sophia that she was wrong but she also didn't want to admit that she was right.

"Or maybe it's the blacksmith's daughter? My pater has worked with him on occasion and I've seen how cute she is." Sophia's smile turned into a sly grin. She had a pretty good idea of what Kassandra wanted to say but she just wanted to tease her for as long as possible first.

"Dione? No, not Dione." Kassandra said with a laugh. "I do have someone particular in mind, though." she admitted, the blush on her face intensifying even more.

"Oh, really? Well you should probably tell her, then. I think she'd be a fool if she didn't feel the same way." Sophia smiled and brushed one of Kassandra's bare arms with her hand. One of the reasons she had picked this particular dress was that she thought it would show off Kassandra's powerful arms and it did a great job of exactly that.

"And I suppose I'd be a fool not to say something to her, right?" Kassandra grasped Sophia's hands and pulled the young woman closer.

"I'm not sure you have to say anything, I think she might already know." Sophia said, her face also turning red as she blushed. Kassandra nervously bit her lip and then instead of saying anything else she just leaned in and gently placed a kiss on Sophia's lips.

 

* * *

 

"...where are you going...?" Kassandra grumbled to Sophia, having just been woken up by the creaking of the door opening up. Sophia froze in the doorway, her silhouette barely visible as the sun hadn't quite risen yet.

"I..." For once, Sophia was having trouble finding words. "Pater wanted to leave early today..." she eventually said. Kassandra sat up, covering hare bare chest with a fur blanket. She rubbed her eyes and thought about Sophia's excuse for a moment. It was true that they always left early in the day but she doubted that Sophia really needed to be up this early to make it in time. It wasn't like Thaddaios would leave the island without his own daughter, anyway.

"Sophia..." Kassandra wasn't sure of what words to say. She had never been in a situation like this before and the fact that Sophia had kept her up most of the night didn't make it any easier to assemble coherent thoughts.

"Kassandra, I'm sorry... I was just... You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you up." Kassandra assumed this was another half-truth. She stood up off the rough bed made of straw and blankets, still clutching one fur to cover herself, and took a step towards Sophia.

"Just talk to me... please." Her mind was starting to clear up as she slowly woke up. Sophia didn't respond so Kassandra reached out with her free hand and touched Sophia's forearm and felt her smooth skin once more. Sophia placed her hand on Kassandra's and stared at the ground while she wrestled with herself to try and find the right words.

"We're leaving... for a long time." she started, her voice barely above a whisper. "Pater says the other islands out East are much more profitable than Kephallonia is, so we'll be going out that way for a while."

"But you'll be back again, right? You don't need to sneak away because of that." Sophia looked up at Kassandra now, revealing the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"I don't know Kass... we might not be. Not for a long time, at least." A tear rolled down her cheek. Kassandra dropped the fur to the ground and wrapped her arms around Sophia, hugging her tight which prompted Sophia to do the same. Sophia placed a kiss on top of Kassandra's head. "I'm so sorry Kass... I wish I could do something about this..." Kassandra raised her head up to make eye contact with Sophia.

"It'd be too much to ask you to stay, right?" Kassandra's gaze moved off to the side when she realized how childish she must sound. "There's not much for you on Kephallonia, what was I thinking." she muttered. Sophia brushed Kassandra's hair with her hand and gave the familiar playful tug on the end of her braid.

The two young women just stood and held each other for a while. They knew that this was probably the end of their relationship. They had been friends for so long and only recently progressed to something more. Neither of them wanted it to end but neither of them had any power to change things. The world was forcing them apart and they would just have to accept that.

They both squeezed harder and silently hoped that this moment could last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this one. Kassandra being an awkward, kinda shy, seventeen year old is really fun.


	2. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kassandra finds more than she bargained for on the Isle of Lesbos

Kassandra actually rather enjoyed taking jobs like this one. The Followers of Ares were a mess that needed to be cleaned up and Kassandra was more than happy to be the one to do it. The village of Eresos on the Isle of Lesbos was the most recent group that needed help with an infestation of the Followers. When she had heard about the malakas cultists kidnapping people and taking them back to a cave hideout, she had practically offered to do the job for free. Kassandra knew what the Followers of Ares did with the people they kidnapped and she knew that she was the best misthios to save those people before they became sacrifices.

Kassandra had already done all the legwork she needed back in Eresos. The villagers knew that the Followers of Ares had a camp up on the Northern side of the island, somewhere near Stormfall Bay. She had ridden Phobos up the trail that led North out of town towards the bay and then found a spot on a hill and waited for the sun to go down. Just before nightfall, she spotted some of the cultists patrolling around the beach and she silently followed them to a cave hidden amongst the cliff face. She followed the pair of cultists into the cave and quietly took care of them both and snuck further in. The light of the moon barely reached into the cave but Kassandra's eyes easily adjusted as she ventured further in.

The cave was about what she expected from the Followers of Ares; rusted weapons discarded along the walls of the cave, symbols painted on the walls in either red paint or (more likely) blood, and the bones of sacrifices scattered along the dark hallways. There were a few torches scattered around the system of caves and corridors but most of the place was covered in dark shadows, which worked well for Kassandra as she was hoping to rid the world of as many of these cultists as possible without getting their attention all at once. She made her way through the darkness, sliding her blade into the various cultists' most vital points and quietly moving on from one to the next.

She finally came upon one slightly larger chamber that held several wooden cages filled with people. She silently slit the throat of the cultist who had fallen asleep on guard duty and then cut open the cages and unbound the prisoners' wrists and ankles.

"I'm here to save you. Follow close behind me. I think I got them all already but just in case, don't get too far from me." she whispered to the group. A single torch on the opposite side of the chamber gave Kassandra just enough light to see the people she had come to rescue. Two men, three women, and even two small children. She grit her teeth as she did her best to contain her rage at the idea that the cultists were planning on sacrificing _children_.

Kassandra led the people back out of the cave, carefully stepping past the still bodies of the cultists and glancing back over her shoulder every few paces to make sure that everyone was still in tow. It seemed that she had in fact taken out all of the cultists as the group's trip back to the cave entrance was quite easy. As the eight of them all emerged into the moonlight, Kassandra turned and spoke to the group once again.

"Now we can just follow the road back to the village. It should be safe, I didn't see any more cultists on the way here." She glanced around the group as she spoke. The children were understandably scared by the whole situation and had to be carried by some of the adults who were doing their best to hide the looks of concern on their faces, some doing better than others. Kassandra's gaze lingered on one of the women slightly longer than the rest. For just a moment she thought that she recognized her but that couldn't be right. She had rarely ever visited Lesbos and certainly didn't know anyone on the island very well. Once the group of villagers had started moving down the dirt trail, Kassandra reached out and touched the woman's shoulder and pulled her aside for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but... do we..." Kassandra's words trailed off almost as if she had been interrupted by the woman's sly grin.

"I was wondering how long it would take you. It's good to see you again, Kassandra." The sound of the woman's voice was finally enough to job Kassandra's memory into working properly. Suddenly she started to recognize the woman: her darker skin, her shoulder-length brown hair, her soft face, and her piercing blue eyes.

" _Sophia_? What? How did you- When did-" Seeing her childhood friend had suddenly left Kassandra at a loss for words. Sophia couldn't help but laugh, it had been a long time since she saw the misthios be flustered and she had missed it.

"I see you still keep it braided." Sophia playfully tugged on the end of Kassandra's braid as she spoke. Both women smiled as memories of their time together suddenly flooded both of them.

"Come on, we can talk more when we get back to town." Sophia gestured towards the rest of the group and the pair hurried to catch up. Kassandra struck a torch to light the trail as they all traveled back to Eresos. Luckily, Lesbos was a fairly quiet island nowadays. Kassandra had dealt with the Writhing Dread some time ago and that alone had helped the safety of the island. Now that the cultists had also been dealt with, the island seemed like a fairly ideal place to live. All of this meant that the trip back to town was uneventful.

Upon arriving in Eresos, the group was greeted by many of the townsfolk. Families were reunited, love was shared, and Kassandra was praised for her role in rescuing the villagers' loved ones. Kassandra was more than happy to have helped these people but she could only think about Sophia, the thought of reuniting with her first love made her heart beat faster and her cheeks warm with blush.

Once the townspeople all dispersed back to their homes, Sophia met back up with Kassandra and led her back to her own home. Their short walk through the now-quiet streets of Eresos was quite relaxing in how calm and peaceful the night had become. The cool night air cooled Kassandra's warm skin as her gaze fixed on Sophia's moonlit figure that led her through the town. Kassandra couldn't help but think about how Sophia had grown into a fine young woman. Granted, she had practically already been a young woman by the time they had parted ways but the years since they had last seen each other had still made a difference.

"So... how did you end up on Lesbos? And with a house in Eresos? What about your pater's ship?" Kassandra eventually broke herself out of the trance that Sophia's swaying hips had put her in and found the questions she had wanted to ask earlier.

"Pater payed the ferryman a few years ago and I inherited the ship. I kept up the business for a while but I had had enough of the sea so I sold it all and opened up a business here. Eresos was lacking in trading so I filled in the gap that I saw. It's worked out quite well for me and for the whole island." Sophia was mostly calm during the whole explanation but Kassandra sensed just a hint of sadness when she had mentioned her pater.

"I'm sorry about your pater, I know you two were close."

Sophia stopped for a moment and looked out over the calm ocean waves that brushed against the piers of Eresos. "I do miss him quite a bit. It's been a while, so the pain isn't so bad anymore... but it is still there." Kassandra placed a hand on Sophia's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Sophia placed her hand on Kassandra's, silently thanking her for the comfort.

"Come on, my house is just ahead." Sophia looked back at Kassandra, the moonlight reflected off the small tears that had begun to form in her eyes. Kassandra wanted to reach out and wipe the tears away but Sophia turned and began walking again before she could.

They finished the last small bit of their walk in silence. When they came upon Sophia's house, Kassandra was actually quite impressed. She had known that Sophia's father had done well but it was clear that Sophia must have also done quite well. The house was large but the warehouse behind it that Kassandra assumed was for her trading business was even larger than she expected. To set up a business like this on an island so far from the rest of Greece was an impressive feat.

The inside, however, wasn't what Kassandra expected. It was the house of a woman who lived alone and was clearly focused on her work more than her personal life. There were hardly any decorations to speak of and the furniture was all very simple.

"It's nice. Your house, that is." Kassandra said as she walked entered the main room of the home.

"You're still a terrible liar." Sophia replied with a small laugh. "I've never quite gotten around to properly furnishing the place. It's only been... almost three years now I suppose. I'll get around to it someday." Kassandra could see past the small smile on Sophia's face and see through to the sadness in her eyes. An awkward silence fell over the pair. Sophia moved about the kitchen and grabbed a pair of cups and some wine for them while Kassandra milled about the mostly empty home until she came to rest on a couch that was adorned with some very soft pillows. Sophia made her way over to the couch, handed Kassandra her drink and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. They both sipped at their wine, unsure of how to continue the conversation. The silence persisted for a bit longer until Sophia eventually spoke up.

"Come on, we've just reunited. We should be happy tonight, there's enough sadness in the world as it is."

"You're right, we should." Kassandra raised her wine glass in agreement and then drank down what was left.

Sophia set her mostly empty glass of wine down and moved closer to Kassandra. "And we should appreciate the beautiful things in life." She reached out and brushed a lock of hair that had come loose from Kassandra's braid and put it back behind the woman's ear. The two women locked eyes for a moment before Kassandra began blushing and glanced away out of embarrassment.

"Gods, you're still so cute when you're embarrassed." Sophia said quietly before leaning and gently pressing her lips against Kassandra's. Sophia backed away for a moment to make sure Kassandra was okay with continuing but as soon as she did so, Kassandra leaned in and continued the kiss herself, pushing Sophia down onto the couch. Sophia would have enjoyed this were it not for the fact that Kassandra had still been holding on to her wineglass, the remaining contents of which had now spilled out onto Sophia's dress.

"Shit!" Kassandra quickly leaned back again and sat her empty glass down. Sophia got up, smiled, and laughed as Kassandra looked around the room looking for something to mop up the spilled wine with. Sophia grabbed onto her dress, pulled it up over her head, and then tossed it onto Kassandra.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think we'll be needing it tonight." Kassandra pulled the dress off of her face and looked at Sophia's sultry body. Sophia grinned, grabbed Kassandra by the hands, and pulled her over to the bed in the next room.

 

* * *

 

"You've gotten a lot better since last time." Sophia said with a small giggle. She was laying on her stomach in the bed, the blanket half draped across her body. She reached over to Kassandra and ran her fingers through the woman's hair that had almost entirely come loose from her braid. Kassandra grinned and let out her own small giggle.

"The 'last time' was my first time, so I'd hope that I'd gotten better since then." Sophia's face lit up when Kassandra said that.

"Was I really you're first?" She asked, a grin stretching across her entire face. "I mean, I figured I was your first _girl_ but I didn't think..."

"Well you were excellent then and even better now." Kassandra moved to lay on her side and ran one hand down Sophia's back, feeling every little bump and ridge of her naked spine. The gentle touch of Kassandra's fingers on Sophia's soft flesh made her skin tingle with joy.

"So do you have a partner in every port? Or maybe you've just been practicing with someone special." Sophia brushed Kassandra's cheek, admiring the rosy glow she had caused on the misthios.

"Well... a bit of both, actually." Kassandra's smile grew larger as she thought about all her partners across Greece.

"How _scandalous_ " Sophia said with a sarcastic gasp and a laugh.

"No no no" She laughed in return. "Not scandalous at all. Daphnae and I just have an understanding. We love each other but we don't get to see each other often, so we both have other partners to help with our physical needs."

"Daphnae, eh? If she's caught your eye then she must be really something."

"You don't really want me to just tell you about other lovers, do you? While we're here in bed together?"

"I do want to know! I'm curious about this mysterious woman who has captured the heart of my beloved Kassandra."

"Daphnae is a Daughter of Artemis and one of the finest huntresses I've ever met. She's absolutely gorgeous... she has a radiance like a warm summer day. She has the heart of a lioness; her love is fierce and voracious."

"She sounds like Anthea." Sophia smirked as Kassandra's look turned to one of surprise.

"Anthea? Tell me more." Kassandra moved closer to Sophia and wrapped an arm around her as she eagerly awaited hearing about Sophia's lover.

"She's a huntress as well. She and a few others have a camp on the Southeastern point of the island, near Lover's Bay. Every so often she comes to town to trade away anything they don't use. And when she does come by, she likes to spend the night here as well. She's big and strong and... actually a lot like you. I guess I have a certain type, huh?" The two women laughed and pulled closer together, squeezing each other in a close embrace.

"The way you've lit up... you really like her, don't you?" Kassandra's comment made Sophia blush, confirming her suspicion without Sophia even needing to answer. "That's wonderful, I'm so happy for you." Kassandra ran her hand through Sophia's short hair and placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Those Daughters of Artemis know quite a bit and she's taught me quite a few things." Sophia's smile twisted to be just slightly mischevious. "And I can think of a few of them that I'd like to show you."

Sophia grabbed on to Kassandra's shoulders and pushed her over onto her back and then slid one hand down her body while she hungrily kissed the misthios' lips.

 

* * *

 

"Well Barnabas, are we ready to set sail?" Kassandra had met up with the old sailor at the docks in Eresos where the Adrestia was docked.

"Yes Captain, we rounded everyone up just after sunrise and are ready to set sail as soon as you're aboard."

"Excellent." Kassandra glanced over her shoulder back into the town and saw Sophia approaching her. She clapped Barnabas on the shoulder as she spoke: "I'll meet up with you on board, I have one last thing I need to do." Barnabas nodded and climbed aboard the ship.

"So, I guess this is it, then?" Sophia said as she slowly walked up to Kassandra. She had a smile on her face but it was closer to a smile of sadness than one of happiness.

"I'll come back again, I promise. I'll come back as often as I can." Kassandra lightly grabbed Sophia's hands and felt the merchant's smooth fingers between her own. They both just stared at their hands as they held each other, neither wanting to have to part ways just yet.

"Are you sure you can't come with me? The Adrestia is a big boat, we'd have plenty of room for you and your business." Sophia let out a small chuckle at Kassandra's idea.

"Are you sure you can't stay here with me? My bed is big enough for both of us. But you already knew that." The two women laughed, they both knew that their ideas didn't fit the lives the two of them had laid out for themselves. Kassandra broke her hands away from Sophia's so that she could wrap her arms around the smaller woman and pulled her in for a kiss. However, their embrace was interrupted by the whoops and hollers of some of the Adrestia's crew. Kassandra pulled herself away from Sophia, rolled her eyes, and then turned to face the ship.

" _Malakas_ " Kassandra muttered under her breath as she pulled Sophia behind a pile of crates so the two could finish their farewell in some semblance of privacy. When Kassandra turned her attention back to Sophia, the woman was just giggling at the whole sequence of events. Kassandra ran her fingers through Sophia's hair to draw her attention back and stared into her clear blue eyes once again.

"I'll miss you Kassandra." Sophia pulled Kassandra in for a hug and buried her face against the misthios' chest. Kassandra wrapped her arms around Sophia and held her tight. Kassandra tried to find something to say but was at a loss for words so she instead held her dear friend close and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Sophia was the one to split them apart this time, placing her hands on Kassandra's shoulder and pushing her back slightly before speaking. "You should get going, or else we'll be here all day."

Kassandra realized that she was right. She really would stay on that dock with Sophia if she could. She placed one last kiss on Sophia's lips and then locked gazes with her again. She could see tears beginning to form in the corners of Sophia's eyes and wiped one away as it tried to escape down her cheek.

"Don't worry, I'm not sad. I promise, it's because I'm just happy to have gotten to see you again." She blinked away any other tears and brushed a loose lock of hair behind Kassandra's ear before backing away a few steps. "Now really, get going." she said with a smile.

Kassandra moved away, slowly at first but eventually she turned and jumped aboard the Adrestia. As soon as she was aboard, she began shouting orders at her crew. She moved up to the command deck and stood next to Barnabas.

"Are you sure you're ready to go?" he asked her, clearly aware of just how much she wanted to stay.

"I am. I just... needed some extra time to say goodbye to an old friend." she didn't look over at him as she spoke. She acted as if she was watching her crew work to release the sails and push away from the pier but really her gaze fell upon the horizon as she stared off into the distance.

"Well then Captain, where do we go next? I think we had business on Naxos to attend to, didn't we?" Kassandra barely heard what he said; her mind was busy trying to think of as many excuses as possible to return to the rather remote isle of Lesbos.

As the ship moved out of the port, Kassandra glanced back at the pier and saw Sophia walking back towards her home. She smiled as she watched the woman walk away. Despite the bittersweet sadness of their parting, she was glad to have found one of her oldest friends again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't originally planning to write more Kass/Sophia but here we are. I'm relatively happy with how this turned out, I think.


End file.
